Many systems have been developed for encouraging consumers to return to a particular establishment for film developing services. In the past, such loyalty programs have provided free film replacement in exchange for developing the film in a certain establishment. The free film was then loaded by the user into the user's own camera of choice.
Other loyalty programs have involved cameras specifically dedicated to a specific loyalty program or rental service.
The Forever Camera Co. of Boca Raton, Fla. announced a reloadable, reusable 35 mm camera that comes pre-loaded with film and a battery. When a customer purchases the camera from a “forever camera” retailer, the purchaser automatically becomes a member of the Forever Camera Club. As a member, the customer qualifies for free film and batteries whenever they bring the camera back to the lab with film for processing. Although offering an incentive to the consumer to return to a Forever Camera Club location for developing, the Forever Camera does not discourage in any way reloading of the film by the consumer, or the taking of the film to another retailer for developing. The Forever Camera is nothing more than a regularly configured 35 mm camera.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,708,856 to Cloutier and No. 5,752,085 to Cloutier et al. and assigned to Eastman Kodak Company, relate to a rental camera with a locking device to deter customer reuse after completed exposure. The '085 Cloutier et al. patent discloses a rental camera including a locking device with a key and keyhole arrangement. The Cloutier '856 patent includes a locking screw arrangement. Both Cloutier patents disclose rental cameras which are to be used by a customer for picture-taking and returned to a lender to unlock the film door and unload exposed film and replace with fresh film. A motor within the cameras of the '085 and '856 patents is used to rewind the exposed film into a cartridge.
Two loyalty cameras and systems having the film pre-wound in the camera under non-darkroom conditions have been offered by the present assignee. In the first loyalty camera system a camera was sold requiring a special key or tool to open the film door and remove the film cartridge. The camera containing the exposed film must be returned to the retailer of purchase, who exclusively has the special key tool used to open the film door and remove the film cartridge. Additionally, in that system, the special key tool is further required in combination with a mechanism located adjacent the film spool to pre-wind the unexposed 35 mm film into a roll for use before the camera is returned to the consumer. The consumer than advances the film back into the film cassette after each exposure.
In the second loyalty camera system of the present assignee, the loyalty camera was sold having a sticker loosely adhered over the traditional style door latch to discourage the user from opening the camera. The packaging and marketing materials encourage the consumer to return the camera containing the exposed film to an affiliated retailer for removal and free replacement of the film. In that particular loyalty system, fresh film is pre-wound in the camera in non-darkroom conditions using a crank located adjacent the film spool and accessible through the outside cover of the camera.
The present assignee has additionally sold a locking loyalty camera including a motor for use in a loyalty camera system. The locking mechanism of that loyalty camera is disclosed in allowed U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/528,939, that patent application being incorporated herein by reference.
What is needed is an inexpensive loyalty camera and system wherein a particular mechanism is used by a camera store affiliate to rewind and remove exposed film from the loyalty camera. What is additionally needed is a loyalty camera wherein the particular mechanism for rewinding is, in part, combined with the film advance mechanism. What is further needed is an inexpensive camera for promoting user loyalty. These objects, as well as others, are satisfied by the present inventions.